The Road So Far
Inside a shadowy barn, Tamiel flicks his angel sword forward. The blade slips into Amelia's body.
"Nooo! Mom!" Claire cries out. Claire wraps her arms around her mom's body from behind, stepping backward, dragging her mom away from the angel.
The scene jumps. Castiel, Sam, and Dean struggle fighting Tamiel. Claire picks up the grigori angel's sword and stabs him in the back. Light flickers in Tamiel's body and dies out.
When Amelia's soul reaches Heaven, Amelia and her husband Jimmy are reunited.
In front of the taxi waiting to take her to Jody Mills' house, Claire looks on as Dean pulls Tamiel's angel sword out of her duffel bag and says, "You didn't think I'd notice you took this?" He puts the old, thick book that he gave her for her birthday into her bag.
In an abandoned Mexican restaurant in Nevada, Sam kneels before Dean, ready to die. Dean holds Death's scythe. Death stands behind them. Dean swings the scythe. It slices through the air above Sam's head. The tip whirls around and punctures Death. His body shatters, blown apart like chaff.
Inside the abandoned factory, Rowena slits the throat of the one person she loves and completes the spell to undo the Mark of Cain.
Lightning bursts out of the Mark of Cain on Dean's arm as the Mark unwrites itself. The brothers stagger out of the abandoned restaurant in a daze.
Black smoke rises out of the earth like the bars of a cage. The smoke coalesces into a massive black cloud. "Dean!" Sam yells. They run to the Impala. The Impala's tires spin helplessly in a pothole. The cloud grows bigger. Wind roars like a tornado. The smoke spills over the Impala.
Season 11 Episode 1: The Darkness, Part 1
In the abandoned factory, Rowena gloats and escapes, casting Impetus Bestiarum on Castiel. Angel blade lifted in one hand, Castiel snarls and approaches Crowley. Crowley snaps his fingers to teleport, but Rowena's spell holds him in place. Castiel's face is masked with blood from the Impetus Bestiarum spell. The angel looms over the cringing demon, his blade raised overhead to strike. Crowley raises his arms uselessly overhead. "Castiel!"
Castiel tilts his head back. The light of his grace rises from his mouth and pours upward in a white stream. As the last glimmer of the grace leaves Jimmy Novak's body, the body loses cohesion and splatters on the floor and over Crowley.
With a stunned look on his face, Crowley spits out a mouthful of blood and flesh.
Castiel streaks into the air.
Sioux Falls, SD
A two-story house.
Claire sits on the edge of her bed inside a small bedroom in Jody Mills' house, dressed in jeans and a faded black t-shirt. The grigori's angel sword rests across her legs in a leather sheath, while her duffel bag lies on top of the bed. She flips through the book Dean gave her, The Enochian Myth. The open page reads:
'and the Seraphim Cassiel bore witness to the killing
of Abel by Cain. And to mark this act of obedience
to his will, Lucifer gave Cain a brand upon his right
forearm, as God had marked the Morningstar, his-'
Claire's head jerks up. A flickering streak of light enters the room through the window and circles above her head.
"Castiel," Claire says sharply, recognizing the feeling of the angel's light. She answers its unspoken question. "Yes."
The light pours into Claire's open mouth. She closes her mouth as the trailing tendril of grace enters her body.
Castiel closes the book and sets it inside the open duffel bag. She takes the angelsword in its sheath, puzzled for a moment by the fastening then slips the machete sheath onto the left side of her belt. Looking awkwardly down at her new vessel, she fumbles in a pocket. She had worn this vessel once when Claire was a child and the combination of similarity and difference in this body is jarring. She draws out her cell phone and dials a number.
A Field in Nebraska
In the stubbled wheat field near where the Mark of Cain was broken, the cloud of darkness roils and expands. The center clears, revealing a liquid darkness. Wind rushes into the darkness as if it is an empty space. Chunks of earth and trees fly into the center of the void.
Sioux Falls, SD
Claire's bedroom
Sam's voicemail message begins to play. Castiel hangs up and dials another number.
An Abandoned Factory
Crowley's cell phone buzzes in his pocket. His eyes burn red, then fade back to normal. He staggers, the spell freezing him in place is broken. He steps away from the remains of Jimmy Novak's body.
Crowley flicks body goo off his hands before reaching into his suit pocket for his phone. "This had better not be a telemarketer."
"It's Castiel. Something terrible is happening."
"More terrible than my dearest mother spelling you to kill me and making off with the Book of the Damned?" Crowley says pretentiously.
Sioux Falls, SD
Claire's bedroom
In Sioux Falls, the house shakes gently, then stops. Castiel looks around the room.
"Yes. I sensed it when I was outside of my vessel. An emptiness. I am ..."
Castiel looks down at the phone and sees it has lost connection. She slips the phone into her pocket and walks out of the bedroom.
The house shakes harder. Castiel braces herself in the doorway, grabbing the door frame tightly. Her hands crush the wood of the frame, leaving an imprint. When the room stops shaking, she lets go of the frame and coolly walks down the stairs, as if nothing remarkable has happened.
St Louis, MO
A Strip Club.
"Everyone outside! GO GO! Leave that, GO!" A slick-looking man in a sleazy suit points and bellows into the chaos. He drags a fallen dancer off the stage and steadies her as she gets to her feet. She staggers for a moment as the earth shakes again. A fellow dancer takes her by hand. Together they stumble towards the exit.
Patrons and scantily-clad dancers pick their way past fallen chairs and spilled drinks.
Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls police station.
Sheriff Jody Mills braces herself against a counter as the earth quakes gently. All around, people crouch and brace themselves against the mild shaking. Papers and files are scattered on the floor, from the previous, stronger earthquake.
A man's voice mutters, "Another one." The middle-aged police officer rises from his crouch.
Jody pulls out her cell phone. The phone is lit with an icon warning of no connection.
A Field in Nebraska
The earth shakes again.
Streaks of light appear in the sky above the roiling cloud of darkness. One streak dips closer to the void. It is snuffed out. Seven streaks of light combine into a formation and swoop through the outer edge of the black cloud. The edge of the black cloud disperses, then reappears as the formation of angels passes. The streaks of light on the outer edges of the formation dim, then flicker out.
A lone angel circles above the scene. Its light flickers, then dissipates.
The void grows larger.
Loma Linda, CA
A child's bedroom.
"The blanket!" the woman cries out, leaning against the top of a child's mattress, huddling over the slight body of her young daughter. The mattress is pulled off the box spring and lies slanted against the box spring and the bed frame.
The short, slight man throws a heavy quilt over his wife and daughter just before the walls and ceilings shake.
Toronto, Canada
An auditorium.
The scene in the auditorium is oddly peaceful. Collapsed vendor stands line the outside of the central auditorium. A small sea of people crouch before a low stage. Many of them huddle together in small clusters, kneeling on top of flattened folding chairs. A group of devotional chanters kneel on a cloth in front of the stage. The chant leader continues his chant:
"Cover your heads," the three figures at the front of the group chant loudly. In a chorus, a group of devotional chanters repeats loudly, "Cover your heads."
"Stay calm," the three figures chant. "Stay calm," the group chants.
"Om steya-himsa-surapana-dyasesadharma-vidvise namah," the three figures chant. "Om steya-himsa-surapana-dyasesadharma-vidvise namah," the group chants.
The religious figures on the stage move slowly in a group off the stage, protecting a woman in the middle.
To one side crouches an elderly woman dressed in white and purple robes with a large name card around her neck that reads "VOLUNTEER." A family of three huddles together next to her. As the mild shaking stops, she stands up and briskly takes a folded chair away from a man struggling to collapse the chair. She pressed the back of the chair and collapses it, laying it down flat on the ground.
Sioux Falls, SD
Outside a two-story house.
Castiel steps outside and closes the door of the house.
Suddenly, Crowley appears on the porch, a wild look in his eyes. "You're right. Something is wrong. What do you need?"
"Time. I need to get to Heaven," Castiel says urgently.
Crowley snaps his fingers.
The Portal to Heaven
The playground where the portal to Heaven used to stand is empty. The sandbox is gone. A strong wind blows across the playground, making Castiel's overcoat flap. She sighs in exasperation. "They've retreated. Fifty-thousand souls from your racks. The innocent ones," she demands coolly.
Crowley looks at Castiel. A strange mix of emotions play across Crowley's face. Castiel looks calmly at the demon.
The earth shakes. The demon and the angel stand still as the trees around the playground teeter and uproot. The playground equipment twists in place, then falls. Crowley's eyes burn red. The shadow of Castiel's injured wings lies across the ground.
"You guarantee ... you will at the very least, attempt to save me," Crowley growls as his eyes burn.
The wind picks up. Trees bend, then snap. Branches from the broken pine trees skitter across the ground.
"I swear it," Castiel answers. Before Crowley can speak again, she grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him into a kiss, sealing the deal.
Light bursts out from Castiel's body.
The world turns white.
Timejump:
The Year 2015
Outside of Tulsa, OK
Holloway's Farmhouse.
In the shadowy barn, Castiel grapples with Tamiel. The Grigori angel lies on his back in the dirt of the barn. His hand grabs Castiel's wrist, preventing Cas' angelblade from touching him. Claire kneels on the ground beyond them, crying and cradling her mom's body in her arms.
Sam runs frantically into the barn, then skids to a halt.
A second Claire appears out of thin air. She falls on top of Castiel as he struggles with Tamiel on the ground. Grace bursts forth from her mouth as she hits the ground.
Tamiel and Castiel scramble apart, getting to their feet.
Claire stares at her double, lying dazed on the ground. She looks up at the light. "Yes." The grace begins to pour into her mouth.
Tamiel and Castiel stare intently at Claire and the grace. Dean runs into the barn behind Sam, then freezes, staring at the scene.
As the last of the grace pours into Claire's mouth, she staggers upright. Her mother's body rolls out of her arms.
The other Claire lies on the floor between Castiel and Tamiel. Blood runs from her mouth. She blinks and looks up at Claire. They lock eyes.
Red-tinged light bursts out of Claire's mouth towards the double's fallen body as the grace tears out of Claire. The light and the double collide. A screaming, keening noise winds up, like a shrill airplane engine. The intense light grows brighter. Sam, and Dean cover their eyes and ears with their arms and turn away. Castiel and Tamiel look on. The last of the light leaves Claire's mouth. Claire closes her eyes and covers her ears with her hands. Her double explodes. Blood and flesh spatter the combatants and the barn.
Blinking and covered in blood and tissue from the body of her other self, Claire speaks incoherently. "They ... that was ..."
Dean tackles Tamiel from the side. Castiel closes the distance between them and swings his angelblade at Tamiel.
"Stop! I came back from the future! Castiel came back to warn us!" Claire yells. "Tamiel! No! You're needed! An emptiness is ... Stop!"
Dean and Castiel grapple Tamiel, almost bringing him to the ground, a tangled mess of explosive energy and locked and flailing limbs.
"Hey!" Sam yells. He glares at the three fighters. Timing it, Sam springs forward. Dean's stray arm clips Sam's head, then Sam grabs Dean by the sides of his ribs. Dean draws back from the fight; the intensity of his violent edge lessening as he lets his little brother draw him back.
Castiel and Tamiel break apart. They stand, facing each other.
"I'm needed, by you," Tamiel says, his voice full of contempt and arrogance. "Your future self sacrificed yourself for this. What could be of such import that you would return within your vessel's timeline?"
"I don't know," Castiel answers the rogue angel coolly.
Claire answers, speaking quickly, "It's a black hole in Nebraska. It ate eight angels. They snuffed out when they touched it. Castiel heard their dying screams." Claire waves her hands at Sam and Dean. "You were helping Sam decode a book and it worked, a Mark came off, you left dad's body and felt an emptiness destroying the planet, there were earthquakes, you made a deal with Crowley, fifty-thousand souls and you promised to try to save him. You said you needed time."
"Crowley?" Tamiel asks.
"The King of Hell," Castiel answers levelly.
"Interesting. You've fallen far, Castiel," Tamiel sneers. "Well ... you failures live up to expectations. I'm willing to let this go and let you leave alive." Tamiel takes a business card from his pocket and flicks it at Castiel. "My number. Leave."
Castiel catches the card. He glances around at Sam and Dean, then at Claire and Amelia's body. "Claire ... come ..."
Claire walks to Castiel, making a wide circle around Tamiel. She reaches out. Castiel holds her hand. The four of them leave the barn. Claire glances back at her mom's body, lying on the ground.
Impala
The steady purr of the impala is a comforting noise as they drive away from Holloway's farmhouse. In the back seat of the car, Claire shakily wipes her face and hands with a clean piece of her t-shirt. She's wearing Dean's flannel shirt. It's much too large for her.
"How are you feeling?" Castiel asks.
"Great. I'm covered in bits of my own body and mom is dead," Claire says sarcastically as tears dribble down her face.
Castiel gives Claire a long look. "Do you remember any more of what happened in the future?"
Claire takes a breath. "It wasn't a black hole. I don't know what it was. It was empty ... wrong ... and old. And the angels that touched it died. You heard them sing their death. The not-a-black hole was eating up the earth." She takes a deep breath and exhales. "Rowena, the witch in the abandoned factory. She casts spells to make you attack Crowley and froze ... freezes Crowley so he can't get away. That's why you left dad's body. His body ... fell apart when you left, so you came to me. You couldn't get to Heaven. The portal was closed and the angels were gone."
"Is this when I make the deal with Crowley?" Castiel asks.
"Yeah," Claire answers.
"I'm surprised he agreed," Castiel comments.
"You weren't surprised. You asked for the innocent souls, then you kissed him." Claire says.
Castiel looks thoughtful.
Sam huffs. "I saw them, when I was there getting Bobby."
"Where?" Claire asks.
"In Hell, rescuing an innocent soul and taking it to Heaven. It was the second trial to close the Gates of Hell," Sam says. "I wish I could have taken them all with me," he says pensively. "They didn't belong there."
Claire swallows heavily. "Your dorky clothes are different," Claire comments, looking at Dean.
"What?" Dean asks; his eyes stay on the dark road.
"Yeah. They're even dorkier," Claire says.
Tulsa, OK
Motel Room
Dean, Sam, Claire, and Castiel walk into the motel room.
"Dibs on the shower," Claire says, as she makes a beeline to her bag. She walks into the bathroom and shuts the door behind her. The sound of running water is audible from behind the thin walls and ill-fitting bathroom door.
Dean, Sam, and Castiel face each other in the center of the motel room.
"Who else do we know that moves through time?" Sam asks.
"Chronos," Dean answers.
"Who's not dead," Sam gives Dean a slightly annoyed look.
"Might not be dead now," Dean says, making a face.
"If he is alive, we will need to break his time loop. Unbroken time loops will make it difficult to alter the future," Castiel says.
"Is that why future you killed future Claire?" Dean asks.
"It may not have been my intention," Castiel answers, a note of distress in his voice. "It requires a degree of .. finesse to return into one's own timeline. Breaking the time loops for both myself and Claire may have ... exceeded my capabilities. Killing ourselves may have been the remaining option to sever our loops," Castiel says.
"Whoever it is went further back," Sam says to Castiel.
"And messed with us," Dean says, looking at his clothes. He is dressed in a black t-shirt, a maroon corduroy shirt, and a worn pair of skinny jeans.
Sam says, "If something ... that big goes down in the future. It makes sense. Everyone who could, would jump back to prevent it. Crowley practically gave those souls away."
"He has my word that I will attempt to save him," Castiel says coldly. The conversation pauses for a moment.
"What the Hell were .. are you doing behind my back, both of you!" Dean bursts out. "Rowena, the book. Let me guess, you didn't burn that book, did you, Sam?" Dean says with an accusatory tone of voice.
"Dean, we have more important things to worry about. All we've got is that whatever's going down will happen in Nebraska. It's a big state." Sam spreads his hands.
"No. They're connected. Big magic, big price. A biblical price. When I held it in my hands, I felt how ... wrong ... that book is. It wanted me to use it," Dean says. "And right after that Mark came off .. comes off in the future," Dean waves his arms angrily, "The shit hits the fan. Don't tell me they're not connected."
"Calm down, Dean. We have time. We will not repeat the same mistakes," Castiel says.
"Yeah, your first mistake is you not telling me what's going on with Rowena and the book," Dean says bitterly.
"I don't know. Sam has not yet involved me in the situation," Castiel responds.
"Fine," Sam says, heaving a breath. "I tracked down Rowena and made a deal with her. I kill Crowley. She decodes the Book of the Damned. She needed the codex from the Werther Box. That's why I was there."
Dean glares at Sam. "When does Cas come into this?" Dean asks.
"I don't know! It hasn't happened yet!" Sam snaps.
"You made a deal with a witch! To kill Crowley!" Dean yells.
"She's in iron shackles," Sam says firmly. "And the world would be better off without Crowley. You may have forgotten our friends that he killed. I haven't."
"Better off? He's gone soft!" Dean shouts.
Claire opens the bathroom door. She is dressed in a clean shirt and jeans, holding her bloody clothes in her hands. "Hey, inside voice," she snarks, bravado covering up her emotions. "I want to get my dead body off my clothes," she says flatly.
Dean takes a box of salt from his bag and strides forward. "Here," Dean says, impatiently taking Claire's wet clothes. He swings the door of the bathroom partly closed behind him, leaving it ajar.
Sam heaves a sigh.
"I heard what you were talking about. Half of it. What else is going on?" Claire asks.
"Claire, I want you to be safe," Castiel says.
"I'm not. I come back here to die in the future," Claire says.
Sam and Castiel look at each other. Castiel sighs a deep and worried sigh.
"Seriously, how often does this happen to you guys?" Claire asks, sitting down at the round table near the door of the motel room. Castiel stands nearby.
Sam sits down on the side of a bed, his long arms resting on his legs. "Pretty often," Sam makes a funny face. "It feels like it's been nonstop for 10 years. Dad disappeared. Demons. They opened a gate to Hell. We didn't know to deal with em at first," Sam shrugs. "Then, Dean getting dragged to Hell. I died and he made a deal with a demon to bring me back to life. Castiel showed up after Dean came back."
"I raised him from Perdition," Castiel says. "When we breached the Gates of Hell, Ramiel and Puriel descended from Heaven to join the Garrison for the raid. They fell in battle as we reached the inner recesses of Hell. They were great warriors. They slew Bael, Barbas, Aamon, Pruflas, Buer-," Castiel breaks off as he looks at Sam and Claire.
Sam and Claire look at Castiel, patiently waiting for his story to end.
"Please continue, Sam," Castiel says.
"There was the Apocalypse. We stopped it. I jumped into the Cage with Lucifer and Michael. After the Apocalypse, one of the archangels, Raphael, tried to restart the Apocalypse. Cas fought him, her. Monsters we'd never seen showed up ... everywhere. Dean can tell you about those. I lost my soul temporarily and don't remember everything that happened clearly." Sam grimaces. "Cas made with a deal with Crowley to get souls from Purgatory to fight Raphael and set loose Leviathans-"
"Accidentally," Castiel interjects.
Sam says, "After that, Crowley was after Kevin."
"The Prophet of the Lord," Castiel adds.
Dean steps quietly back into the room.
"There was a ... mess with tablets that God had written about leviathans, demons, and angels. Cas was...," Sam looks at Castiel.
"Naomi, the head of Intelligence, reprogrammed me," Castiel says. Claire looks at Castiel warily.
"We tried to close the Gates of Hell but-" Sam heaves a sigh. "... didn't ... and Metatron,"
"The Scribe of God, tricked me." Castiel doesn't continue.
Sam says, "He took Cas' grace as the final ingredient to the spell to close the Gates of Heaven, causing the angels to fall from Heaven and turning Cas into a human. The angels had a civil war."
"Cas led the rebel angels fighting Metatron," Dean says.
"Yes. Gabriel persuaded me," Castiel says.
"Gabriel?" Dean asks. "He died holding off Lucifer to let us and Kali escape."
"No," Castiel says, "He was alive. He persuaded me to lead the angels. I .. was reluctant. I am no leader and told him so, but the events of the night convinced me otherwise."
"Huh," Sam says thoughtfully. After a moment, Sam continues. "An angel possessing me. Killed Kevin. Dean took the Mark of Cain to kill Abaddon-"
Castiel interrupts. "Which was pointless and unnecessary. We defeated Metatron and imprisoned him through trickery. Sam believed Dean to be dead by Metatron's hand," Castiel says.
"The Mark of Cain turned Dean into a demon," Sam says quickly, as if by saying it more quickly, he would feel less pain.
"It doesn't let me die," Dean says flatly, not looking at Sam.
"That is not all it does," Castiel says with a note of distress.
"What is it Cas?" Dean asks calmly. Claire's eyes flick over Dean's face.
"I was there when Cain slew Abel. God gave Lucifer a Mark to hold hidden in the space between the first and second of his right wings. The Mark was not meant to be seen. It was a perversion for Cain to bear a simulacrum of Lucifer's Mark on his soul. The taint from bearing that Mark has passed on in Cain's bloodline to this day." Castiel stops talking.
Dean looks at Castiel.
"You never told us this, Cas," Sam says.
"It is not relevant to the removal of the Mark," Castiel answers.
"Yes, I know, but the more we know about it..." Sam says in an annoyed voice.
"I felt concern for Dean's feelings if I revealed that he is a perversion and taint upon the Earth, due to his folly and reckless ignorance," Castiel says.
"Thanks Cas," Dean says in a subdued voice.
Sam looks at Dean. Turning to Castiel, he says, "Next time, don't spare us. This is too important."
Castiel continues the story. "Sam captured Dean and turned him into a human. Sam was concerned that the influence of the Mark on Dean had grown excessive. We broke into Heaven to question Metatron. I removed Metatron's grace. He knew nothing useful about removing the Mark. He said he knew the location of my Grace. I took him there and retrieved my Grace. Metatron escaped."
Sam and Dean burst out together, "He's loose? Cas!"
"We need to know this!" Sam exclaims. At the same moment, Dean asks, "Are there angels after you?"
"No. Hannah ... has sent no angels after me. I have not told her that I lost Metatron. He ... has the demon tablet. I have been tracking him."
"Friggin tablets, more trouble than they're worth," Dean says vehemently. "I'll call Crowley. Same vessel?" He asks Castiel.
"Yes," Castiel answers.
"If people remember Marv, that might help us track him down," Sam says, swinging his laptop open onto the table. "Dean, let me call Jody?" Sam asks as Dean walks out the door.
Dean looks back and mutters a distracted, "Yeah."
Sam pulls out a notebook and pen from his bag and slides it across the table to Claire. "Claire, listen, I want you to write down everything you can remember about the future ... okay?" Sam looks at her steadily.
Claire picks up the notebook and pen. "Yeah," Claire says, looking into Sam's eyes.
Castiel strides out of the motel room. He walks past Dean, leaning against the Impala with his cell phone at his ear. Behind him, Castiel hears Dean's half of the conversation fade as he walks away. "I am alone," Castiel says into the crisp night air.
Hannah appears in front of Castiel. She is in her female vessel: Caroline Johnson.
"Hannah?" Castiel says, with a puzzled tone of voice.
"Yes. Come, Castiel." Hannah places her hand on Castiel's shoulder. They disappear.
Moments later, Dean walks to where Castiel has vanished, knife in one hand and gun in the other. He looks around, then turns back to the motel room.
Heaven
Heaven's Prison.
Hannah, Castiel, and three other angels enter Heaven's Prison. Metatron sits in the first cell, his hands and feet shackled together to the walls, ground, and ceiling of the prison cell.
Castiel takes a breath. "Well played," he says as he looks at Hannah.
Hannah smiles at Castiel.
"Oh, come to marvel at your handiwork?" Metatron says, smarminess dripping off every word.
"He was difficult to capture even without his Grace," Hannah says, ignoring Metatron.
Castiel nods and takes out a vial with a swirly light inside.
"That's mine!" Metatron spits out, struggling to his feet. The chains force him to crouch. "Was my little escape and recapture amusing to you? Let me tell you, that foray of yours was … narratively weak," he hisses.
"What were your plans with the demon tablet?" Castiel asks.
Metatron smiles his twisted smile. "Like I would tell you," his voice drips disgust and superiority.
"You are the Scribe of God," Castiel says.
Metatron laughs. "Yes ... I am. You know, I don't understand my past admiration of you warrior types. God made you with limited imagination and no creativity. The perfect little slaves for the real powers in Heaven to use."
"You know God's words. What would you do with the demon tablet?" Castiel asks again.
"What … couldn't … I do," Metatron says, a twisted smirk marring his face. "One day, you'll come running to me, begging for my help. And my help will come with a price." Metatron sits back down with a self-satisfied air.
Hannah looks at Castiel. The angels walk out of the prison and through an open-plan office with angels diligently working at their desks. Hannah leads them into an alcove set up as a meeting area. Hannah sits on a comfortable stuffed chair and Castiel sits next to her. The three angels surround Castiel.
Minneapolis, MN
Light Rail Tracks
Sheriff Donna Hanscum runs on the sidewalk between the tracks. Sweat drenches her plump body. Her breath is a ragged gasp. She has a taser in one hand and fumbles with an object in the other hand. Behind her, two humanoid figures blur as they run, supernaturally fast. Their bizarre, ugly faces loom up behind her. With a clatter, the drained taser battery drops onto the sidewalk and Donna clicks in a charged battery.
"Now!" a light, female voice shouts.
Donna spins and fires. One figure falls. It's a rawhead. The other rawhead turns tail and runs.
Jody Mills jogs up to Donna, holstering her taser. Donna gasps and stares at the body of the rawhead.
"Next time, you're doing the running," Donna pants.
Jody looks down at the body of the rawhead. "Let's clear out of here before the other one comes back. I left the salt back in my car."
Donna groans.
Heaven
An alcove
"Please, Castiel," Hannah says. She reaches out her right hand. Castiel sits next to her on one of the armless, stuffed chairs in the alcove.
Castiel hesitates, then takes Hannah's hand. "Of course, I understand." His fingers close on hers.
Three angels stand around Castiel. "Sophia," Castiel says, looking up at her.
Sophia gives Castiel a slight nod. A gleaming metal probe appears in her hand. In a single swift movement, she slips the probe into Castiel's forehead.
Minneapolis, MN
Light Rail Tracks
Jody's cell phone vibrates in her pocket. She checks the screen. It's 12:01 a.m.
"Sam! Glad you called, because we got a thing that sounds like your kind of thing," Jody says, walking down the sidewalk. Donna follows Jody, glancing back frequently.
Sam huffs a laugh. "Lay it on me."
"Donna and I are on vacation here in Minneapolis popping rawheads. The lakes are crawling with em," Jody says.
"Tell him they're working in pairs," Donna says.
"Donna says to tell you they're working in pairs," Jody says.
"Pairs, never heard of them doing that," Sam answers. "Listen, we'll get there as soon as we can. We have a few problems we could use help with. Marv, that miracle worker last year?"
"Yeah?" Jody ask questioningly.
Sam says quickly, "We need to track him down and Jody, watch out for demons. In ...," There's a pause and a sound of rustling papers. "...a couple weeks, the world will end in Nebraska. Oh and a family called the Stynes, they came after a book that a friend of ours picked up for us. Jacob Styne, he was jacked up with a type of magic we haven't come across before-"
"Wait.. hold your horses cowboy, go over that second one again," Jody interrupts to redirect the conversation to the end of the world.
"Dean! Jody, I ... I'll call you back," Sam says quickly.
The cell phone disconnects. Jody stares at it for a moment, then looks at Donna.
Heaven
An alcove
"...and the not-a-black hole has come twice already," Castiel says, thinking out loud.
"The not-a-black hole?" Hannah asks, a puzzled note in her voice.
"It is what Claire named the force destroying the world. In our future, I return here using her as my vessel. I then inhabited her before breaking the time loop by killing the future versions of ourselves. Only the information that I imparted to Claire remains," Castiel answers.
Hannah looks at Castiel respectfully, and nods, "An excellent solution. Inias calls it the Void. It will be easier this iteration with Metatron unaware and imprisoned."
"It may be safer to kill Metatron," Castiel says.
Hannah nods seriously. "Yet, we may need him to write Destiny."
"You would trust him with the angel tablet?" Castiel questions Hannah.
"I don't trust him, Castiel," Hannah says. "Yet, it may be our best option." She holds out her hand.
Castiel looks at her, and then takes out the vial of Metatron's grace. "How many have there been?"
"This is Inias's second time-jump. I will return with him if this iteration fails. Caroline is prepared to sacrifice herself," Hannah says calmly, taking the vial of grace from Castiel.
"I see. How long have you known?" he asks.
"Months. Inias approached me before I requested your help apprehending the rogue angels."
Castiel sighs. "What must be done?"
"Stay here, Castiel," Hannah says. "Your actions in the last iteration led to the Void."
"Dean will be suspicious and ... may act rashly," Castiel argues, cocking his head.
"You will convince him. I assigned Asariel and Purah to Earth's Garrison. They will watch over the bearer of the Mark. You need not concern yourself with his safety," Hannah says.
"And ... there is little that I can do here," Castiel says, flustered.
Hannah says, "I can do little, Castiel. Inias can only hint at courses of action that may change the future without trapping us in a time loop." Hannah pauses. "I would speak to Claire."
"Of course," Castiel answers.
Tulsa, OK
Motel Room
Claire sits at the table, journal in front of her. Ripped out pages of her writing are scattered on the table. Fresh, bloody angel sigils decorate the window and walls of the room. Dean, Sam, and Crowley stand near the door of the motel room. A bloody cloth rag is wrapped around Dean's arm and hand.
"I'm not going with Crowley," Sam says.
Dean argues, "I can't trust myself near the Book. Cas is gone-"
"Dean, he's been gone less than an hour!" Sam exclaims.
Crowley looks at Sam and comments, "Patience has never been one of Dean's virtues."
"Take Claire with you and get back to the Bunker. I'll go to Minnesota and handle the case," Dean says.
"Jody needs backup researching rawheads," Sam says, "NOT handling her case."
"What is there to research about rawheads?" Dean demands.
"They're working in pairs," Sam says.
"Huh." Crowley quirks his face and says, "Here's my proposition: I'll send my demons to take care of that and keep watch over Nebraska. You'll all go to the Bunker and hunker down, drinking cheap whiskey and microbrews until the world doesn't end." He grabs a page off the table and rolls his eyes over it. "Fifty-thousand souls and I gave it to you for nothing," Crowley muses.
Sam glares at Crowley.
"In return for my aid, Moose will retrieve the Book of the Damned and the Codex and hand it over to me along with my dear mother in chains," Crowley finishes.
"I'm not handing over the Book. It's our only chance of curing you!" Sam yells at Dean.
Dean starts to pace back and forth across the room in frustrated, jerky strides.
"This is not you, Dean! Stop it! Stop walking," Sam says desperately.
Dean stops walking and looks at Sam in disbelief.
"You don't do that...," Sam says in a broken voice.
"Don't do what?" Dean asks.
"Pace...," Sam says.
Dean gives Sam a long look. "You want to meet Jody, fine." He tosses the keys to Sam.
Sam lets the keys hit his chest, then drop on the floor with a jangle. "Don't tell me fine, Dean! We are not splitting up."
Crowley breaks in, stopping the argument. "Entertaining as it is to watch Moose's nervous breakdown, you have visitors."
Dean glances outside. Castiel and other figures are visible through the window. "Freakin angels," he mutters. Dean looks at Crowley, "No point in you staying."
Crowley gives Dean a look. "Don't do anything stupid." He snaps his fingers and disappears.
Tulsa, OK
Outside the Motel Room
Castiel sighs, his cell phone held to his ear.
Asariel and Purah stand together at one side. Three other angels flank Hannah. Hannah glances at Asariel and Purah. They give quick shakes of their head.
Castiel dials again. "Sam."
"Cas," Sam says. "What happened? Why are you outside?" Inside the motel room, Sam, Dean, and Claire listen to the conversation by speakerphone.
"Hannah wishes to speak with Claire. Please let us inside," Castiel answers.
"What happened to you? You disappeared," Sam says.
"Hannah and I had a talk. I am good, Sam. Please, let us come inside and speak more privately. I have good news," Castiel says in a cheerful voice.
"Really! Great!" Sam says. "You know, we're going to go hole up in one of Bobby's old cabins until the deadline is past. It's gonna be safer to stay apart so, we won't trigger what we did before." Sam has his fake, sympathetic, lying face firmly set as he speaks into the phone.
Castiel says, "Don't lie, Sam. Please, let us discuss the matter inside. Hannah wishes to speak to Claire."
"Yeah, not going to happen," Dean growls. "Look Cas, until this is over stay away from us."
"We will not know when it is over, Dean," Castiel says calmly. "Do you not see the value in sharing information?"
Dean answers, "You want to share information, Claire wrote it down. You and your angel buddies fly off and I'll read it to you nice and private over the phone."
"Dean," Castiel growls, then stops speaking. He glances at Hannah and sighs.
With a concerned look on her face, Hannah says, "Castiel?"
Castiel says, "This may be easier if I speak with him alone." He looks at Hannah tentatively.
Hannah and the other angels disappear with a sound of flapping wings.
Castiel places his hand on the Impala's door. It opens. Castiel gets inside the car.
"What are you doing to Baby?" Dean asks, looking outside.
"I am sitting. Hannah and the other angels are gone. Stop behaving foolishly and embarassing me!" Castiel says in an exasperated tone of voice.
"Embarrassing you?" Sam and Dean ask together.
"Yes, embarrassing me. You are suspicious of me, and you stay and ward the motel instead of hiding? If Hannah wished to harm you, Asariel would have destroyed the motel complex with you in it," Castiel says.
"Even with the angel warding?" Sam asks.
"Yes, I'm sure she would have found a way around it. She is a specialist."
"What was the pod person talk for?" Dean asks.
"I was ... feeling ... relieved," Castiel snarls. "Hannah recaptured Metatron. She's been aware for several months. An angel from the future approached her, one who time jumped much further into the past. I will not speak his name, he is experiencing difficulty avoiding entrapment in a time loop. Sophia debriefed me. She has a delicate touch and I remain for the most part myself. It was a precaution in the event that I was compromised by a spell or other angels. Hannah wants me to stay with her in Heaven until this is over because my actions in the last iteration led to the appearance of the Void. Asariel and Purah will guard you."
"Cas, how do you know you're ... okay?" Sam asks, his voice full of concern.
"I don't know. It was necessary and I trust Hannah," Castiel grinds out the words. "This iteration must be the last one, or the borders of the universe will bleed."
"This iteration?" Dean asks.
"The other angel has time jumped twice, which means we have failed at least twice before in preventing it. Hannah will tell you what you need to know. I will not interact with you and repeat the same mistakes," Castiel says shortly.
"Fine. We'll talk," Dean says.
Minneapolis, MN
Parking Lot
Donna and Jody stand at the back bumper of Jody's SUV. The trunk is open. Donna is rummaging around in the back. Jody is turned around, keeping a lookout on the quiet parking lot. The reflection of light from the sun off of the surface of the moon illuminates the parking lot.
Donna fishes a water bottle and a container of cookies out of a reusable grocery bag and turns around to stand side-by-side with Jody. "That's one H-E double hockey stick of a story they told you, Jodes," Donna says. "You think they're on the up and up?"
Jody stands comfortably next to Donna. "Those boys aren't lying, not this time," Jody says with a small smile. "I know they're not telling me the whole story. We could use their help with the rawheads."
"You'd think someone woulda noticed them all over Minneapolis before now," Donna says, a puzzled expression on her face. "I see em everywhere now. Don't know how I missed what was going on before ... but ain't it always like that?" Donna rambles on.
Jody smiles, "Yeah." She glances down at her cell phone. The time is 2:13 a.m.
Notes:
Thanks to the wonderful ladymarvel87, Permit Winter, Skylark22155, writersdream1661, GW, Mishafer, Kim Wit, dance4thedead, and my-spirit-animal-is-the-impala for beta of Chapter 1.